NATION : Lukens Won't Resign During Appeal

WASHINGTON — Rep. Donald E. Lukens (R-Ohio) said today that despite calls for his resignation by GOP leaders, he will stay in Congress while he appeals his conviction a week ago of having sex with a 16-year-old girl.

"If I have caused pain and embarrassment to my family, friends or supporters, I apologize," Lukens, a hard-core conservative, said in a statement released at his Capitol Hill office. "But I refuse to allow the lies and deceit of one delinquent individual to ruin me. I am now fighting for my life."

Lukens, 58, was convicted May 26 of contributing to the delinquency and unruliness of a minor following a five-day trial in Ohio.